About Cal Skinner

We Hate Spam!

We have recently instituted a system of spam control that helps keep the McHenry County Blog a lean, mean information machine. A side product of this process is that in certain cases you might be blocked or challenged to prove that you aren't a robot in order to comment on articles.

If for some reason the automated processes that are in place to prove that you are a human do not work, or if you have any other technical problems with the blog, please email techguy at any time for speedy resolution.

Longtime Ald. Edward Burke, one of Chicago’s most powerful figures and a vestige of the city’s old Democratic machine, has been charged with attempted extortion for allegedly using his position as alderman to corruptly solicit business for his private law firm.

The indictment of the almost 50-year Chicago Alderman and Illinois Supreme Court member husband involved court-approved wiretaps and emails.

“The criminal charge was jaw-dropping even for a city with a long history of public corruption,” the Tribune reported…”arguably one of the biggest fish ever reeled in by the U.S. attorney’s office.”

Campaign contributions in exchange for assistance with city permits is but one aspect of the indictment.

The Franks’ men go fishing in Canada in late June with powerful Illinois Democrats like Alderman Ed Burke, Jesse White, and others whose names are recognizable.

(The Canadian trip is even mentioned in the charging document.)

As reported on McHenry County Blog two days after Christmas, Jack Franks has reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections receiving contributions from Ed Burke going back to 2004.

In his campaign for McHenry County Board Chairman, Burke gave Franks $5,000.

Jack Franks didn’t have Mike Madigan as a headliner on his 2018 Chicago fundraiser, but he did have Ed Burke’s and Tom Dart’s.

The pressure on McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks for having his name mentioned by Breaker Press President Richard Lewandowski as involved in the defamatory postcards attacking Republican County Clerk candidate Joe Tirio pales in comparison of those of his Canadian fishing companion and campaign contributor.

Chicago mayoral candidates have scurried to get rid of the money their campaigns have received from Burke.

It is so, so unlikely that the dominant media presence in McHenry County, the Northwest Herald, will even mention the indicted Chicago Alderman’s contributions and other connections to Jack Franks over a fourteen-year period.

As a consummate insider with his hands on many of the city’s levers of power, Burke is arguably one of the biggest fish ever reeled in by the U.S. attorney’s office, which has famously indicted a succession of Illinois governors, aldermen and other politicians in a seemingly never-ending parade of graft.

While the allegations have a familiar ring, the details in the 37-page complaint hint that it could be the tip of the iceberg.

According to the complaint, the FBI had won a judge’s approval to wiretap Burke’s cellphone and was already recording his calls before the alleged shakedown at the center of the charge began to unfold in May 2017.

Ald. John Arena, 45th, said the criminal allegations against Burke tar government in taxpayers’ eyes and called on the powerful powerbroker to resign.

“If he cares for this city, he should focus on his defense,” Arena said. “We in the council need to find a way forward from this.”

Arena has been pushing an ordinance to strip Burke of his control of the city workers’ compensation system, a $100 million enterprise that is currently exempt from the scrutiny Inspector General Joseph Ferguson exercises over the much of the rest of the City Council.

“He has worked to block that, and I guess now we know why,” Arena said.

Snakes, you argue like a child. You apparently do not like my comment about a metaphor, but instead of arguing the point – how I was wrong, for example – you tell me to go “back” to a place to which you have no idea I’ve ever been.

If you think someone’s facts are wrong, cite the contrary evidence.

If you think the reasoning is wrong, say how.

The rest is simply trolling from the anonymous safety of your computer.

“Underwood and her supporters—through training volunteers, organizing canvasses, and recruiting Democratic precinct captains—rebuilt the party’s presence in the district. Tina Willson, one of the area’s recently minted Democratic activists, and other local volunteers told me the increased Democratic visibility seemed to have an impact.”